


we set the wrong course and headed due north

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-11 21:13:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5642179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finn gets captured and reconditioned by the First Order, Poe tries to bring him back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	we set the wrong course and headed due north

**Author's Note:**

> from a prompt on tumblr and I'm not so great with hurt/comfort so I might have missed the mark and if I did, I apologize

The first thing Finn felt when he woke up was the manacles around his wrist; the stainless steel that shone in the brightly lit room and could only mean one thing.

 

“Please don’t let this be real.” He begged, feeling his chest tighten and like he’s going to be sick. It’s a panic unlike anything he’s ever felt before, even when he was running from the First Order the nervousness was always soothed by the fact that that would be it.

 

He’d either die or be free.

 

He thought he was free.

 

“FN-2187,” Phasma’s voice is the undeniable factor that he isn’t dreaming and he closes his eyes before taking a breath and opening them again to see her standing in front of him.

 

“My name is Finn.” It’s a lot easier to act brave than it is to feel it, his voice doesn’t shake at all thankfully.

 

“FN-2187,” She continued anyway, “You have been found faulty.”

 

Finn bit his tongue so he didn’t throw up, there’s nothing “faulty” about him and he knows that now.

 

“Oh you mean I found out I had some free will outside of this place.” Finn joked, he doesn’t bother to pull at the manacles or fidget because it would be no use.

 

He’s not Rey; he can’t escape this.

 

He can only hope for a rescue.

 

“As such,” Phasma still ignored his taunts, “We have placed you for reconditioning.”

 

If Finn had thought his blood was racing before now it’s skyrocketed.

 

“No.”

 

“You will submit of course.” Phasma tilted her helmet, “You have no choice in the matter.”

 

“No.” He said louder, gritting his teeth afterwards and not caring that he can’t escape, pulling at the bonds though he still knows it’s useless.

 

“Proceed.” Phasma said, not to him but to some unknown entity that’s watching in the glass room above them.

 

Finn only vaguely remembered the same thing happening when he was a child, a group of people staring down at him to watch his progress, molding him into what they wanted him to be.

 

Now he has no idea what’s coming.

 

He just knows that no one has survived reconditioning before – or at least the parts of them they were beginning to become survived, just ghosts in a uniform after that.

 

“Finn,” He said, reminding himself of Poe giving him that name, of making it his own. “My name is Finn. Poe Dameron gave me the name Finn. Rey knows me as Finn. My name is Finn.”

 

The lights went out but he didn’t stop repeating it; thinking of the moment Poe had given him that name over and over again and hoping he could see Poe one last time at least.

 

~~

 

“We’re sure he’s on that one.” Poe asked, fidgeting in his X-Wing once more.

 

“Positive.” Rey told him over the comlink from where she was piloting the Falcon.

 

“Then let’s go bring him home.” Poe breathed out, shutting his side of the comlink off so Rey couldn’t hear him, “Just hold on Finn. We’re coming.”

 

One week ago Finn had been knocked unconscious and dragged away by Stormtroopers in the middle of the battle.

 

Every night since that image had haunted Poe; he and Rey had scrounged all the information they could about where they might have taken Finn, never once letting themselves believe he was gone.

 

As soon as they were close enough Poe broke off from the Falcon as planned, he was piloting a TIE fighter they’d stolen and kept in one piece this time.

 

Just stepping into the cockpit reminded him of Finn and he’d had to swallow down his regret of not being quick enough to get to him on the battlefield.

 

BB-8 rode in the Falcon with Rey and would monitor the comms while he went into radio silence, he’d land the TIE fighter in the Star Destroyer, wearing the Imperial uniform they had stolen as well, and Rey would provide the distraction once he’d found Finn.

 

As he turned the comms on to speak to the Star Destoryer to ask permission to land he sent up one last prayer to anyone listening in the Force to let him get to Finn okay.

 

“He’s important to me.” Poe said, licking his dry lips, “I just want him back in one piece, okay?”

 

Nothing answered but he liked to think they agreed.

 

“Here goes nothing,” He muttered and then slipped into an Imperial persona, giving codes that were hopefully still useful and holding in a whoop of glee when they let him in.

 

He didn’t remove the helmet he wore as tried not to walk too quickly around the base. He didn’t know how long he’d have if someone stopped him because he looked like he was rushing too quickly.

 

Prisoner quarters of all Star Destroyers were located in the same area and Poe was all too familiar with the corridor as he walked down it.

 

He didn’t see any guards typically stationed outside the prisoner quarters which either meant there were no prisoners on this ship or they’d taken rounds somewhere.

 

He was hoping for the rounds, checking the logs at the end of the hall.

 

_FN-2187. Processed._

 

He froze at those words. “Processed?” Poe asked himself, “What the hell does that mean.”

 

Taping the file to get more information he found that Finn had been moved the barracks which only added the mystery as to why they felt Finn would be safe enough there.

 

The only things he could think of was that Finn had been incapacitated enough to not be a threat to them anymore.

 

“What have they done to you Finn?” He swallowed that thought down and requested information on how many Stormtroopers were in the barracks at the time.

 

As luck, or perhaps the Force, would have it Finn was alone in there.

 

Poe made his way down the hall, nodding at those along the way and trying not to break into the all out sprint he wanted to know that he knew where Finn was.

 

The barracks were as cold as the rest of the ship, it made Poe shudder to think Finn had lived like this at one point. At the far end he spotted a man sitting in trooper armour sans the helmet and his heart sped up.

 

“Finn.” He pulled off his helmet, rushing forward.

 

At his name Finn turned around but instead of the smile Poe expected was a blank stare.

 

“Finn?” He stopped just short of Finn when the other man stood up, holding one hand out to Finn, “C’mon, buddy, we gotta go.”

 

“FN-2187.” Finn cut Poe off.

 

“What?”

 

“My designation is FN-2187.” Finn repeated but there was a hint of doubt.

 

Poe’s heart felt like it had stopped and he shook his head, dragging a hand through his hair.

 

“If this is a joke it falls way past the line this time.” Poe laughed awkwardly, trying to see if at any second Finn would break the mask and just smile.

 

Instead Finn looked more confused.

 

“Finn,” Poe took a step forward but Finn took a step back.

 

“That’s not my designation.” Finn said but his voice was unsteady.

 

“No it’s not. It’s your name.” Poe held both his hands up, “I gave it to you remember? You helped me escape and I thought you might have deserved better than a designation so I asked if I could call you Finn.”

 

Finn stared at him with wide brown eyes, looking uncertain.

 

“And now I’m returning the favour and getting you out because I need you back.”

 

“Why?”

 

Poe’s mouth quirked upwards in a hopeful smile that Finn was questioning that, “’Cause you’re a big deal to the Resistance.” He teased and then became more somber, “But also cause you’re a big deal to me. Who else am I gonna stay up late showing holovids to? Or talk about battle tactics with? Or let steal my clothes?”

 

Finn’s eyes flickered towards, the hint of recognition growing in them.

 

“See?” Poe couldn’t have felt more relieved, “You’re still in there.”

 

He reached out slowly and this time Finn didn’t back away, until his hand was cupping Finn’s face and he wished he wasn’t the heavy gloves so he could feel Finn’s skin, warm under his hand.

 

“You gotta come back cause you’re important to me and being Finn is important to you.” Poe caught his eyes and kept his gaze, “You’re a free man Finn, you can’t forget that.”

 

Finn breathed in sharply and it was like everything came tumbling back.

 

“Poe.” Finn said, laughing as he did and throwing his arms around Poe. It would have been a better reunion if they hadn’t both been wearing armour but Poe would take it, wrapping his arms around Finn and pressing his face into the crook of Finn’s neck.

 

“Don’t do that to me again.” Poe sighed, all the weight of worry he’d been carrying filtering away. He pulled back just to catch Finn’s face and then leaned in again, kissing him slowly and giving Finn time to move away.

 

Finn just tightened his hands where they still rested on Poe and leaned into the kiss.

 

“We gotta go,” Poe reluctantly tore away, resting his forehead against Finn’s. “Rey’s waiting to cause a distraction for us.”

 

Finn nodded, slipping his hand to the back of Poe’s neck and pulling him in for a quick kiss again before stepping away and grabbing his Stormtrooper helmet.

 

“Let’s do this.”

 

Finn’s voice didn’t waver like it had the first time they’d escaped a Star Destroyer, so much more sure of himself now but Poe could the bravado in it and knew that at some point they’d have to talk – or Finn would have to talk to somebody – about whatever had happened on this ship.

 

“Yeah,” Poe donned his own helmet again and led them out, “Let’s get you home and back in some Resistance clothes. You look awful in this.”

 

He heard Finn snort, “So you thought I looked awful when you first saw me?”

 

“Nah, I thought you were the most wonderful on that ship.” Poe kept his tone light, drawing Finn back into his old humour with an ease that helped him feel more settled as well.

 

“I don’t think there was much competition.”

 

“I’ll show you all about how great I thought you looked when we get back to base,” Poe flirted and would have winked if Finn could see it.

 

“If you say so.”

 

~~

 

Five hours later they were back on base and Poe was reverently keeping his word and repeating Finn’s name over and over against his skin to always remember least he ever forget it again.


End file.
